If, at the beginning of my brief writing career, someone

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1 Renovation: By Dennis Wolter Paperwork If, at the beginning of my brief writing career, someone would have told me it would take 17 three-to-five page articles to cover the subject of Cessna interior renovation, I would have judged them to be crazy. Well, so much for insanity. Saving the fun part for last, it s time to present an overview of the required FAA paperwork for an interior renovation. There are two categories to consider here. The first is the paperwork that is required to document an owner-installed interior. There are preventative maintenance provisions in FAR 43 Appendix A, Part C that allow an aircraft owner or operator to perform almost all of the tasks required to install a new interior in a Cessna. The key word here is almost. Since seats and passenger restraints are considered primary structures, I would highly recommend that you team up with your A&P mechanic to inspect and repair these items. This means that a proper logbook entry for your new owner-installed interior would actually require two maintenance record entries one done by the owner and one done by the licensed mechanic who inspected the seats and passenger restraints. The second type of paperwork we will discuss involves the maintenance record entries and supporting documents that must be made when a professional shop does an interior in your airplane. Here s the crazy part of this business. It s not uncommon for a person who had a professional interior installed in his or her airplane to get a totally unprofessional incomplete maintenance record entry, or worse, none at all. How do I know that? Well, if Cessna Pilots Association gets a call from a member with a problem involving an interior installation, they often refer that person to us for help with the problem. It s usually not long until a bogus maintenance entry comes to the surface. Never take delivery of a any job without reviewing the paperwork. Since I can t show you a copy of a nonexistent entry, I ll show you a copy of a very minimal, unsigned entry that I happened to come across in one of my customer s logbooks. The names have been blanked out to protect the not-so-innocent. Later in this article we will take a look at a proper logbook entry that will put the sub-standard nature of this example into perspective. It is obvious why an IA who is re-licensing your airplane at annual time cannot rely on a something this sketchy to verify that the interior conforms to current regulations. Which leads us to a big part of what should concern us in our interiors, and that is flammability. Here s the reality of how the FAA is currently interpreting the regulations regarding flammability of cabin materials. Most Cessnas were type-certificated under the old regulation of CAR 3. If you read CAR 3 (or CAM 3), you will see that the flammability standards for cabin materials at that time were so minimal that they offered almost no fire safety at all. A strict interpretation of this regulation would lead one to believe that almost anything goes, that flame retardant materials are not required. That rule actually applied for years. The FAA, however, has seen the light, and through the FSDO (Flight Standards District Office) system has been instructing IAs and A&Ps that the acceptable standard now Minimal unsigned logbook entry. Fails to specify type of foam used, no appropriate weight & balance data is provided, etc. Test samples showing minimal damage that is caused by testing FAR a approved materials. is that materials must meet FAR a for any interior 39

2 Weight & balance data spreadsheet prepared by the owner-installer as the new interior is being done, helpful input for the later authorized calculation. materials used in a part 91 airplane. FAR a basically dictates that the material will burn no more than 4 per minute if exposed to a prescribed test flame. I personally think meeting this standard is not enough to really give you the safest cabin possible. It s not just about pacifying a government agency; it s about safety. So you can achieve another level of safety if you use materials that pass FAR a (a stricter requirement than FAR a). Materials meeting FAR a will self-extinguish within 15 seconds of removing the test flame. Using these better materials means that the new interior becomes part of fire suppression rather than fire support. Sounds like a winner to me! An often overlooked issue in interior renovation is weight & balance. This is an area that belongs to someone with an airframe mechanics license. That said, an owner can prepare the data in the form of a neat and accurate weight and location chart, created in a spreadsheet type format as the interior is being redone. Weigh the old interior components as they are removed, and again after they are reupholstered and ready for re-installation. Neatly record the weights to the tenth of a pound. Don t try to use ounces. The aviation industry operates on decimal measure; the math is easier and more accurate. When finished with 40 Cessna Pilots Association - January 2008

3 supplier and reference each material and supporting document in the maintenance record entry. An owner performed maintenance record entry for a kit-installed interior requires the same sign-off information as an entry made by a licensed mechanic. Heading your entry should be the aircraft manufacturer and model, registration number, serial number, total airframe time (either tach or Hobbs), and the date. The main body of the entry should include: The manufacturer of the interior component or complete kit A reference to the sales invoice, giving date, items ordered, part numbers, etc A copy of the PMA sticker (parts manufacturing authority) A statement stating that the flame proofing documents for the items listed on the invoice are on file at the suppliers company A statement referencing the fact that these interior trim components were installed per FAR 43 Appendix A Part C, and good practice A statement referencing that a revised weight & balance will follow in the next maintenance record entry A statement that the seats and passenger restraint system were inspected by a licensed person, with a maintenance entry to follow The word end should appear after the last sentence of the maintenance record entry The signature of the owner/pilot who did the work, and that person s airmen certificate (pilots license) number Proper weight & balance as calculated and signed off by a licensed person. your interior, give this data to your A&P. He or she can then calculate a new weight & balance. Don t forget to include an update of your equipment list if any changes were made that apply. We find that the most significant weight changes we see when doing a new interior in a previously unmodified interior are usually the weight of higher quality new carpet and better insulation. Let s get down to business and put together a logbook entry for an owner installed interior. Owner installed interiors come in two basic types. The first and probably more common is a kit interior purchased from a company such as Airtex. Airtex will supply all the required documents to verify conformity to the FARs. All you must do is reference these specs in the maintenance record. If you re sewing the materials yourself, or having an automotive shop sew the components for you, collect these documents from the The second part of the maintenance record entry should be an entry made by your A&P or IA that includes the following: Date and aircraft time Description of any seat frame or airframe repairs Part name and number for any new parts installed An form for any parts installed 41

4 The SafeTy foot automatic secondary seat stop for Cessna pilot and co-pilot seats. Receipt for one of the many upholstery materials required to complete an interior. faa No hazard Installation approved Cost effective PeaCe of MIND owner/operator Installation! Clamp on System No Drilling or Tapping Into Seat operates With original Cessna Seat Lever Will hold Seat even If Pin Is Not engaged In Rail Flame test results signed by an FAA DER. Patent Pending Southern Precision Components 2079 Ridge Rd. Hartwell, GA fax: Cessna Pilots Association - January 2008

5 If crack repair or other structural repairs were made to seats or airframe components, a reference to AC chapter and verse showing conformity to the FARs in the processes and materials used to implement these repairs An entry listing installation of the passenger restraints, their part numbers, and the TSO (technical standard order) that they meet A new weight & balance for the renovated interior A signature and technician s certificate number A maintenance record entry for an interior that was fabricated in the field and installed by an owner or operator will include all the data listed above with the exception of the kit-related description, receipt information, and PMA data. In place of this kit information, the maintenance record entry must include the following for everything used to fabricate the new interior: A receipt describing the material, manufacturer, color (if applicable), and product number for all materials such as insulation, foam, leather, fabric, vinyl, carpet, etc Flame test document describing the materials in item 1, with the test results as to what FAR a material passes (FAR a or FAR a), signed by an FAA certified DER (designated engineering representative), and their certificate number An FAA form signed by a DER, a statement of conformity proving that the material and the test mentioned in item 2 meets the FARs A description of all the work performed and non-upholstery materials used such as zinc chromate, paint, adhesive, etc A statement saying that the seats and passenger restraint system were inspected by a licensed person, with a maintenance record entry to follow A statement referencing that a new weight and balance was prepared by a licensed person with a maintenance record entry to follow The word end after the last sentence of the maintenance record entry The signature of the owner or operator, and his or her airmen certificate number Again, this maintenance record entry should be followed by one done by the A&P or IA as mentioned earlier. The maintenance record entry that is appropriate for a professionally fabri- cated and installed interior follows the same format as that of an owner-performed installation with the exception of having all the work, whether it is seat repair, upholstery, weight & balance calculations or placarding, signed off by one authorized person. That person can hold one or all of the following ratings: A repairman s certificate working in an FAA-approved repair station An airframe mechanics license An airframe & powerplant

6 FAA form signed by a DER. Note, we keep a sample of the actual material attached to this document. 44 Cessna Pilots Association - January 2008

7 Proper logbook entry for a typical complete interior and a few extra modifications done in a Cessna

8 46 Cessna Pilots Association - January 2008

9 Completed front side of an FAA 337 form for a one-time field approval. Note the FAA stamp and inspectors signature in block

10 Hail Damage is nasty! Do you need a STRIKE FINDER? A close-up of the FAA approval statement in block STRIKE FINDER Price: $4, Hail Damage Repair Bill: Oh My! TSO and STC d Detects and analyzes the electrical activity emanating from thunderstorms within a 25, 50, 100, or 200 nautical mile (nm) radius of the aircraft. Call Now For A Dealer Near You Tel: Fax: Web: Instrument Corporation mechanics license with inspectors authorization Since many new custom professional interior installations also include some major modifications, such as taller seat back build-ups and shoulder harness installations, it s important to discuss the paperwork and approvals for these types of mods. The FAA requires approval for any mod that can affect crashworthiness. That means that adding a headrest, building the back of a seat taller, or changing or installing different passenger restraints, among other mods, requires either a field approval or an STC. Field approvals are issued by the FAA through the FSDO and require the generation and filing of an FAA 337 form. Up until 2002, the FAA issued two types of field approvals. The first and most common is a one-time field approval that applies to only one make, model and serial number. This approval is good for use by the person making the application for one time only on that one specific airplane. There will be an original FAA inspector s stamp, date, and signature in block 3 of the 337 form. I am showing you both sides of a onetime 337 form to illustrate what is typically included in such a document. The owner/operator is the only party to receive the original 337. The FAA and the installer each keep copies. Supporting documents may sometimes be required. In this case, a block will be checked to indicate that additional documents are part of the approval. The second type of field approval is known as a duplicatable field approval. In years past, the FAA issued these in order to allow a mechanic or an approved repair station to perform the exact same major mod more than once on the same make and model of aircraft, without requiring an inspection of that mod every time it was done. This type of approval requires a 337, however, block three is left empty. The approval statement is made at the end of the body of copy that describes the modification and what supporting data applies to the specific modification. This statement references the aircraft type, the tail number, serial number, and date of the original approval, as well as the name of the owner of the airplane at the time that original approval was made. The picture of a duplicatable field approval shows it all. Again, the owner gets the one and only original 337 form with the original signature on the front side. Since 2002, unfortunately, the FAA no longer gives out new duplicatable field approvals, but the continued use of existing ones is authorized. Always check to be sure that all the information on the front side of the 337 is correct. Once these documents are filed with the FAA, changes are quite difficult to implement. Here s a reality check. Some shady stuff goes on regarding field approval paperwork (believe me I ve seen evidence). To avoid such a dark cloud, do not accept a 337 un- Cessna Pilots Association - January 2008

11 Typical duplicatable field approval write-up with an appropriate drawing, located in block 8 of the back of a 337; note the reference statement to the airplane that this duplicatable field approval was originally approved for. All the stuff you get in a typecertificated kit (in this case, BAS shoulder harnesses for a Cessna). 49

12 At right: FAA STC form describing the modification, the STC number, and a stamp indicating the make model and serial number of the airplane that this STC is authorized to be installed in. At bottom: The master applicability list that includes all of the Cessnas that this kit is approved to be installed in by make, model and specific serial numbers. 50 Cessna Pilots Association - January 2008

13 less it contains an original signature and inspector s stamp in block 3. The other approval system provided by the FARs is the STC (supplemental type certificate). An STC allows for the major modification of an airplane by any licensed entity who purchases and installs the previously approved component or system. Unlike a field approval, no FAA field inspection is required and there is no limit to the number of times that the approved part can be installed. An STC is usually sold as a complete kit that includes everything necessary for installation such as instructions, bill of materials, all parts, STC copy and a master applicability list. An example would be Rosen sunvisors or BAS shoulder harnesses. On some STCs, only the STC approval and master applicability list is purchased, and the end user must locate all parts required for installation. The important thing is that the aircraft owner clearly understands what paperwork is required and is able to verify that the STC is applicable to his exact model. The following is a list of documents that must accompany an STC-approved modification to a type certificated airplane: An original copy of the STC, usually stamped and marked for the specific airplane in which the mod is to be installed; includes all current revisions Did I say never take delivery of an aircraft without reviewing and checking all the paperwork? This stuff is often your only proof that your airplane conforms to its original type certificate, and is LEGAL TO FLY! If there is anything that makes you feel you are really finished with the job, it s completing the paperwork. I very much enjoyed sharing information with all of you through this series of articles on interior renovation. I hope it has helped enhance your ownership of one of these fine Cessna airplanes. Until next time, fly safe! Dennis and Cynthia Wolter own Air Mod, at the Clermont County Airport in Batavia, Ohio. Dennis owns and flies a Skyhawk and a 1939 Taylorcraft. CPA would like to thank Dennis and Cynthia for all the work that they have put into this series of articles. ORGANIZER Stop CONSOLES & accessories By, Call or Visit Our Site Today Accessories include: Fire Extinguisher & Oxygen Tank Mounts, Armrests, Cupholders, Device Mounting Plates and many more! YOKE RECONDITIONING Custom Colors RUDDER PEDAL EXTENSIONS STC/PMA Call Wayne Flight Boss Ltd. INSTRUMENT PANEL FABRICATION Information@saircorp.com Co Airport (BJJ) 6020 N Honeytown Rd Smithville OH A master applicability list showing that this STC does apply to the make, model and serial number of the subject airplane A parts list or bill of materials listing every component by part number Installation instructions and related installation drawing with all current revisions A properly filled out original FAA 337 form. Block 3 is left blank because the approval for the installation is the STC number that is referenced in the description in block 8 A maintenance record entry describing the mod and listing the STC number A revised weight & balance An appropriate change to the aircraft s equipment list 51